Ecclesiastes Chapter 1: 12-18
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
The Hound: There are many of us who suffer with the burden of worry, because we search for the truth and we study the ways of the World. I heard this message spoken yesterday and this message hit home with me about what I have witnessed over the last several years.
Reality: My Doctor asked me a couple months ago, when I went in for a routine checkup, what I did for fun. I told him that I don't have fun. I really don't have time for fun. I can't afford fun.
If I were as indulgent as many others I see, I would be dead now. These have been dead serious times in my life. I have lost a lot that I did not choose or deserve to lose. It was basically stolen from me and I am not happy about it. Now you tell me how you would feel. I live with knowing that it has happened for a reason. I have seen many people around me that have had the same happen. There is no solace in such a condition.
The Posse is coming folks... the Posse is coming.
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Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- December 29, 2013
Art Cashin: (King World News) Director of Floor Operations for UBS Financial Services & CNBC Market Commentator - UBS has over $650 billion under management. Art has over 50 years of Wall Street experience, which gives him the ability to offer valuable insights to investors and traders. When he started in the industry, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was actually in the 700-800 range. He shares his analysis and gives the pulse of the market from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Art is one of the most respected people in the world when it comes to analyzing the action in the US stock market and provides an objective and unbiased view of the current market situation. His daily market commentary is read internationally by clients and peers.
King World News Interview - December 28, 2013 - There is no other alternative to the Stock market... will give some push, but there will be a pull back. Yellen (Fed Chief) will be tested in her first year. Mortgage applications have dropped off to levels when Lehman was deconstructed. Mortgage rates creeping up. Fed will have to reverse itself on tapering. Is the Fed in control? Have a history of poor forecasts. Markets may lose faith in the efficacy of the Fed. Europe has verbally held things together. Sovereign debt issue has not be solved. China is in trouble. They have to be careful. Their shadow banking system has created problems... trying to rein in... needs to be stabilized... every China government that has fallen fell because of food. India is concerned about currency flowing out due to Gold. Heavy duties and sanctions imposed. China has been a heavy buyer of gold. Concern for governments to control things. People should be concerned about western governments letting their Gold go. Central Bankers have let it go at low ($) levels. Geopolitics everyone thinks the world just goes up to the cliff, the World can go over the cliff. Austerity will lead to a backlash of protests. Geopolitical concers. Fed might be successful at creating velocity, which could lead to heavy inflation and then the Fed would have to taper at the "speed of sound." Hickory Hound: Taper = rising interest rates.
James Rickards: US 'Heading for Another Recession Soon' - Moneynews - Dan Weil - December 27, 2013 - While many experts were encouraged by the 4.1 percent economic growth reported for the third quarter, James Rickards, portfolio manager for the West Shore Real Asset Income Fund, wasn't one of them. "There is good reason to believe that the economy is heading for another recession soon, rather than the more robust growth economists keep predicting," he writes in The Darien (Connecticut) Times. "More than 50 million Americans are on food stamps, 26 million Americans are either unemployed, underemployed or have given up looking for work, 11 million Americans are claiming disability payments — effectively a new form of unemployment insurance — and labor force participation is at the lowest level since 1978."
Push of a Button: This Is How Fast They Can Lock Down the Entire Banking System - SHTFPlan.com - Mac Slavo - December 24th, 2013 - Late last week it was learned that some 40 million charge cards were obtained using physical processing systems located in Target retail locations nationwide. Though no details of the how the hack attack was executed have been released by Target, the FBI or other agencies investigating the breach, it is likely that the processing machines themselves were compromised. Target claims that the hack was sophisticated, but on the technical side, once hackers found a way into the credit card processing machines, probably via remote entry from servers somewhere in Eastern Europe or Russia, the theft of credit card data itself would have been fairly straight forward by using scripts or applications that simply capture the data and send it off to servers owned by the hackers. This was probably one of the largest credit card thefts in history, though it is not at all surprising. Two years ago we noted that cyber attacks would soon be targeting America’s e-commerce systems and just a few months ago it was noted that rogue terrorist groups were specifically working on sabotage operation to bring down the U.S. economy. While this latest attack on Target stores and their customers fell far short of crashing our economy or financial system, it proves, as did recent breaches of Pentagon military networks, that even the most highly secured systems in the world can be compromised. Furthermore, what this attack highlights is that with the right type of “event” the economy and financial system of the United States can be shut down… almost instantly...
Duke Grad Student Secretly Lived In a Van to Escape Loan Debt - Business Insider - Mandi Woodruff - December 27, 2013 - Yahoo editors have selected this article as a favorite of 2013. It first ran on Yahoo Finance on June 10 and was one of the most popular stories of the year. The article details the extreme lengths Ken Ilgunas went to in order to pay back his big student debt bill. By the time Ken Ilgunas was wrapping up his last year of undergraduate studies at the University of Buffalo in 2005, he had no idea what kind of debt hole he'd dug himself into. He had majored in the least marketable fields of study possible — English and History — and had zero job prospects after getting turned down for no fewer than 25 paid internships. "That was a wake-up call," he told Business Insider. "I had this huge $32,000 student debt and at the time I was pushing carts at Home Depot, making $8 an hour. I was just getting kind of frantic." Back then, student loans had yet to become the front page news they are today. Ilgunas could have simply deferred his loans or declared forbearance. He also could have asked his parents (who were more than willing to help) for a leg up. He could have thrown up his hands and gone to grad school until the job market bounced back. Instead, he moved to Alaska and spent two years paying back every dime. And when he enrolled at Duke University for graduate school later, he lived out of his van to be sure he wouldn't have to take out loans again. "I had no idea what I was getting into at the time. I didn't even know what interest was when I was 17," he said. "I just think that's awfully indicative of the incredibly poor personal finance education young people have at that time in their lives." In his book, "Walden on Wheels: On The Open Road from Debt to Freedom![]()
," Ken chronicles his journey out of debt. He was kind enough to share his story with us this week. He
knew exactly where to go for work. Ken had spent a couple months
working at a remote Alaskan truck stop the summer before graduating. So
he called up his old contacts and landed a job there as a local tour
guide, cook, and basically whatever the locals needed. "The day
after I graduated, I was on a flight to Alaska and pretty much started
work right away," he said. "As ignorant as I was, I did know that if I
didn't deal with my loans, I'd have to deal with accumulated interest or
delinquency or default. I wanted to pay it off as fast as humanly
possible." It was a brilliant move for a 20-something needing to
pay down debt in a hurry. "It's 250 miles from the nearest store, room
and board were included, and there wasn't any cell service," he said.
"You can amaze yourself with how much you can save when you reduce your
cost of living. Almost every dollar I made went toward my student
loans."
King World News Interview - December 28, 2013 - There is no other alternative to the Stock market... will give some push, but there will be a pull back. Yellen (Fed Chief) will be tested in her first year. Mortgage applications have dropped off to levels when Lehman was deconstructed. Mortgage rates creeping up. Fed will have to reverse itself on tapering. Is the Fed in control? Have a history of poor forecasts. Markets may lose faith in the efficacy of the Fed. Europe has verbally held things together. Sovereign debt issue has not be solved. China is in trouble. They have to be careful. Their shadow banking system has created problems... trying to rein in... needs to be stabilized... every China government that has fallen fell because of food. India is concerned about currency flowing out due to Gold. Heavy duties and sanctions imposed. China has been a heavy buyer of gold. Concern for governments to control things. People should be concerned about western governments letting their Gold go. Central Bankers have let it go at low ($) levels. Geopolitics everyone thinks the world just goes up to the cliff, the World can go over the cliff. Austerity will lead to a backlash of protests. Geopolitical concers. Fed might be successful at creating velocity, which could lead to heavy inflation and then the Fed would have to taper at the "speed of sound." Hickory Hound: Taper = rising interest rates.
James Rickards: US 'Heading for Another Recession Soon' - Moneynews - Dan Weil - December 27, 2013 - While many experts were encouraged by the 4.1 percent economic growth reported for the third quarter, James Rickards, portfolio manager for the West Shore Real Asset Income Fund, wasn't one of them. "There is good reason to believe that the economy is heading for another recession soon, rather than the more robust growth economists keep predicting," he writes in The Darien (Connecticut) Times. "More than 50 million Americans are on food stamps, 26 million Americans are either unemployed, underemployed or have given up looking for work, 11 million Americans are claiming disability payments — effectively a new form of unemployment insurance — and labor force participation is at the lowest level since 1978."
Push of a Button: This Is How Fast They Can Lock Down the Entire Banking System - SHTFPlan.com - Mac Slavo - December 24th, 2013 - Late last week it was learned that some 40 million charge cards were obtained using physical processing systems located in Target retail locations nationwide. Though no details of the how the hack attack was executed have been released by Target, the FBI or other agencies investigating the breach, it is likely that the processing machines themselves were compromised. Target claims that the hack was sophisticated, but on the technical side, once hackers found a way into the credit card processing machines, probably via remote entry from servers somewhere in Eastern Europe or Russia, the theft of credit card data itself would have been fairly straight forward by using scripts or applications that simply capture the data and send it off to servers owned by the hackers. This was probably one of the largest credit card thefts in history, though it is not at all surprising. Two years ago we noted that cyber attacks would soon be targeting America’s e-commerce systems and just a few months ago it was noted that rogue terrorist groups were specifically working on sabotage operation to bring down the U.S. economy. While this latest attack on Target stores and their customers fell far short of crashing our economy or financial system, it proves, as did recent breaches of Pentagon military networks, that even the most highly secured systems in the world can be compromised. Furthermore, what this attack highlights is that with the right type of “event” the economy and financial system of the United States can be shut down… almost instantly...
Duke Grad Student Secretly Lived In a Van to Escape Loan Debt - Business Insider - Mandi Woodruff - December 27, 2013 - Yahoo editors have selected this article as a favorite of 2013. It first ran on Yahoo Finance on June 10 and was one of the most popular stories of the year. The article details the extreme lengths Ken Ilgunas went to in order to pay back his big student debt bill. By the time Ken Ilgunas was wrapping up his last year of undergraduate studies at the University of Buffalo in 2005, he had no idea what kind of debt hole he'd dug himself into. He had majored in the least marketable fields of study possible — English and History — and had zero job prospects after getting turned down for no fewer than 25 paid internships. "That was a wake-up call," he told Business Insider. "I had this huge $32,000 student debt and at the time I was pushing carts at Home Depot, making $8 an hour. I was just getting kind of frantic." Back then, student loans had yet to become the front page news they are today. Ilgunas could have simply deferred his loans or declared forbearance. He also could have asked his parents (who were more than willing to help) for a leg up. He could have thrown up his hands and gone to grad school until the job market bounced back. Instead, he moved to Alaska and spent two years paying back every dime. And when he enrolled at Duke University for graduate school later, he lived out of his van to be sure he wouldn't have to take out loans again. "I had no idea what I was getting into at the time. I didn't even know what interest was when I was 17," he said. "I just think that's awfully indicative of the incredibly poor personal finance education young people have at that time in their lives." In his book, "Walden on Wheels: On The Open Road from Debt to Freedom
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas on this sunny day 2013
Happy Birthday Jesus on this great and glorious day. There isn't a cloud in the sky today. Already went and helped serve to families in need. And now it is time to go eat with the family after I get a few things done.
Remember 3 years ago?
Remember - Merry White Christmas 2010 - Hickory, NC - 12/25/2010
Remember 3 years ago?
Remember - Merry White Christmas 2010 - Hickory, NC - 12/25/2010
Monday, December 23, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- December 22, 2013
The Hound: This week marks the 100th Anniversary of the Federal Reserve. Passed before the Congressional Christmas Break on December 23, 2013, it created the biggest change in the monetary and economic system in this country's history. The Dollar is now worth 1% of what it was 100 years ago today. The modern Socialist State was created through this Act. Individual freedom has been destroyed. We have Overlords who were never elected ruling over us. They control us through the monetary system. That goes against this nation's founding principle.
On The 100th Anniversary Of The Federal Reserve Here Are 100 Reasons To Shut It Down Forever - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - December 22nd, 2013 - December 23rd, 1913 is a date which will live in infamy. That was the day when the Federal Reserve Act was pushed through Congress. Many members of Congress were absent that day, and the general public was distracted with holiday preparations. Now we have reached the 100th anniversary of the Federal Reserve, and most Americans still don't know what it actually is or how it functions. But understanding the Federal Reserve is absolutely critical, because the Fed is at the very heart of our economic problems. Since the Federal Reserve was created, there have been 18 recessions or depressions, the value of the U.S. dollar has declined by 98 percent, and the U.S. national debt has gotten more than 5000 times larger. This insidious debt-based financial system has literally made debt slaves out of all of us, and it is systematically destroying the bright future that our children and our grandchildren were supposed to have. If nothing is done, we are inevitably heading for a massive amount of economic pain as a nation. So please share this article with as many people as you can. The following are 100 reasons why the Federal Reserve should be shut down forever...
The Taper Is On – 8 Ways That This Is Going To Affect You And Your Family - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - December 18th, 2013
100 Years Is Enough: Time to Make the Fed a Public Utility Guest post by Ellen Brown - December 23, 2013
G. Edward Griffin Unmasks the Creature from Jekyll Island - The Corbett Report - December 19. 2013 - On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Reserve Act we talk to G. Edward Griffin, author of The Creature from Jekyll Island, about America’s central bank. We discuss the origins and functions of this monstrosity, as well as its role in maintaining and expanding the wealth and power base of the banking cartel that own and operate it. We also discuss the growing public awareness of the Fed and the rising movement of those seeking to abolish it.
Link to Interview
Why John Boehner And Paul Ryan Should Immediately Resign - The End of the American Dream Blog - Michael Snyder - December 11th, 2013 - Thomas Jefferson once said that “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” In other words, he believed that government debt was the equivalent of stealing money from future generations on a massive scale. Right now, the U.S. government is stealing roughly $100,000,000 from future generations of Americans every single hour of every single day. And it is being projected that the U.S. national debt will more than double during the 8 years of the Obama administration. In other words, the federal government will pile more debt on to the backs of our children and our grandchildren during the Obama years than had been accumulated during all of the rest of U.S. history combined. The federal government is literally destroying the future of America, and what we are doing to our children and our grandchildren is beyond criminal. If there was one thing that the Republicans in Congress were supposed to do, it was to do something about all of this debt. These days Republicans can’t seem to agree on much, but the one issue that virtually all “conservatives” were supposed to agree on was the national debt. The American people gave the Republicans control of the House in 2010 and 2012 for a reason. Unfortunately, nothing has been done. Our debt has continued to spiral out of control and now John Boehner and Paul Ryan are pushing a “budget deal” that will essentially give the free-spending Democrats virtually everything that they want for the next 10 years. That is why John Boehner and Paul Ryan should immediately resign.
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts - Interview on King World News - December 22, 2013 - Link to Interview - Dr. Roberts speaks about Fed tapering saying it doesn't make any sense and it doesn't appear that they have stopped QE. They are manipulating the stock market. There will be more manipulations in the days to come. The current financial system is lawless. The Press is not investigating any of this. The Central Bank has become a Central Planning System (Socialist). The Capital Market decides nothing. There is no Free Market... GDP has been manipulated. Everything is manipulated. There is no basis for recovery of the economy.
Ten Cities Where Poverty Is Soaring - Wall St. 24/7 - Michael B. Sauter and Thomas C. Frohlich - December 5, 2013 -
5. Salisbury, N.C.
> Poverty increase: 12.4 ppt
> 2010-2012 Poverty rate: 28.4%
> Median household income: $33,083
> Population: 33,596
During the three-year period ending in 2009, Salisbury’s poverty rate of 16% was about 3% higher than the national rate. In the following three-year period between 2010 and 2012, the city’s poverty rate was approaching 30%. Salisbury has traditionally relied heavily on the manufacturing sector, particularly textiles and fabrics. In recent decades, however, manufacturing activity has declined significantly and continues to do so. Between 2010 and 2012, manufacturing jobs in Salisbury — as a percent of the workforce — shrank from 15.5% to 8.3%.
On The 100th Anniversary Of The Federal Reserve Here Are 100 Reasons To Shut It Down Forever - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - December 22nd, 2013 - December 23rd, 1913 is a date which will live in infamy. That was the day when the Federal Reserve Act was pushed through Congress. Many members of Congress were absent that day, and the general public was distracted with holiday preparations. Now we have reached the 100th anniversary of the Federal Reserve, and most Americans still don't know what it actually is or how it functions. But understanding the Federal Reserve is absolutely critical, because the Fed is at the very heart of our economic problems. Since the Federal Reserve was created, there have been 18 recessions or depressions, the value of the U.S. dollar has declined by 98 percent, and the U.S. national debt has gotten more than 5000 times larger. This insidious debt-based financial system has literally made debt slaves out of all of us, and it is systematically destroying the bright future that our children and our grandchildren were supposed to have. If nothing is done, we are inevitably heading for a massive amount of economic pain as a nation. So please share this article with as many people as you can. The following are 100 reasons why the Federal Reserve should be shut down forever...
The Taper Is On – 8 Ways That This Is Going To Affect You And Your Family - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - December 18th, 2013
100 Years Is Enough: Time to Make the Fed a Public Utility Guest post by Ellen Brown - December 23, 2013
G. Edward Griffin Unmasks the Creature from Jekyll Island - The Corbett Report - December 19. 2013 - On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Reserve Act we talk to G. Edward Griffin, author of The Creature from Jekyll Island, about America’s central bank. We discuss the origins and functions of this monstrosity, as well as its role in maintaining and expanding the wealth and power base of the banking cartel that own and operate it. We also discuss the growing public awareness of the Fed and the rising movement of those seeking to abolish it.
Link to Interview
Why John Boehner And Paul Ryan Should Immediately Resign - The End of the American Dream Blog - Michael Snyder - December 11th, 2013 - Thomas Jefferson once said that “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” In other words, he believed that government debt was the equivalent of stealing money from future generations on a massive scale. Right now, the U.S. government is stealing roughly $100,000,000 from future generations of Americans every single hour of every single day. And it is being projected that the U.S. national debt will more than double during the 8 years of the Obama administration. In other words, the federal government will pile more debt on to the backs of our children and our grandchildren during the Obama years than had been accumulated during all of the rest of U.S. history combined. The federal government is literally destroying the future of America, and what we are doing to our children and our grandchildren is beyond criminal. If there was one thing that the Republicans in Congress were supposed to do, it was to do something about all of this debt. These days Republicans can’t seem to agree on much, but the one issue that virtually all “conservatives” were supposed to agree on was the national debt. The American people gave the Republicans control of the House in 2010 and 2012 for a reason. Unfortunately, nothing has been done. Our debt has continued to spiral out of control and now John Boehner and Paul Ryan are pushing a “budget deal” that will essentially give the free-spending Democrats virtually everything that they want for the next 10 years. That is why John Boehner and Paul Ryan should immediately resign.
Dr. Paul Craig Roberts - Interview on King World News - December 22, 2013 - Link to Interview - Dr. Roberts speaks about Fed tapering saying it doesn't make any sense and it doesn't appear that they have stopped QE. They are manipulating the stock market. There will be more manipulations in the days to come. The current financial system is lawless. The Press is not investigating any of this. The Central Bank has become a Central Planning System (Socialist). The Capital Market decides nothing. There is no Free Market... GDP has been manipulated. Everything is manipulated. There is no basis for recovery of the economy.
Ten Cities Where Poverty Is Soaring - Wall St. 24/7 - Michael B. Sauter and Thomas C. Frohlich - December 5, 2013 -
5. Salisbury, N.C.
> Poverty increase: 12.4 ppt
> 2010-2012 Poverty rate: 28.4%
> Median household income: $33,083
> Population: 33,596
During the three-year period ending in 2009, Salisbury’s poverty rate of 16% was about 3% higher than the national rate. In the following three-year period between 2010 and 2012, the city’s poverty rate was approaching 30%. Salisbury has traditionally relied heavily on the manufacturing sector, particularly textiles and fabrics. In recent decades, however, manufacturing activity has declined significantly and continues to do so. Between 2010 and 2012, manufacturing jobs in Salisbury — as a percent of the workforce — shrank from 15.5% to 8.3%.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
A Christmas message - The "Light"
I was asked to write a personal devotional about Advent by my Pastor David Keck and what that scripture means to me. Today I was asked to read it aloud to the congregation for the Christmas service here on the Sunday before Christmas. What I have written below is about the River of Life, Family and friends, Struggles, and reconciling your personal being with Devotion to God and the World we live in. Below is theScripture and at the bottom is my Devotional.
Revelations 22:1-12 - The River of Life
22 Then the angel[a] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants[c] will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant[d] with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
James Thomas Shell:
I dedicate this to my grandmother Martha Shell, who was a great and righteous woman; who always sacrificed and provided for my family. When I would have struggles with darkness in my life, she would encourage me back to the light. My shame is a shame that we all must deal with. Her absence makes me ponder how I took her for granted as we take God for granted in knowing that he will always be there.
Revelations literally means that God's plan is being revealed to us. This verse tells us of the purity of God's Kingdom. We have to travel through the River of Life in order to get to the Kingdom. Things happen for a reason. Those things are God's plan. The tree bears fruit, which represents the different seasons of our life. They are learning experiences.
Over the past seven years my life has changed drastically. Most of the people who surrounded me seven years ago are either gone or not near to me. I have been forced to deal with constant economic and social challenges over these years. None of us would ever choose a path of struggle for ourselves. We all deal with issues of anger and frustration when we go through such times... It happens for a reason.
God allows me to choose the path of the Darkness or the Light. Darkness equals succumbing to negativity - fear. The "Light" is constantly referred to in the Bible. God is the "Light". Be righteous, trust and follow the Path of the Light through the seasons and you will be rewarded with God's Kingdom.
Revelations 22:1-12 - The River of Life
22 Then the angel[a] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants[c] will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Jesus Is Coming
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant[d] with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
James Thomas Shell:
I dedicate this to my grandmother Martha Shell, who was a great and righteous woman; who always sacrificed and provided for my family. When I would have struggles with darkness in my life, she would encourage me back to the light. My shame is a shame that we all must deal with. Her absence makes me ponder how I took her for granted as we take God for granted in knowing that he will always be there.
Revelations literally means that God's plan is being revealed to us. This verse tells us of the purity of God's Kingdom. We have to travel through the River of Life in order to get to the Kingdom. Things happen for a reason. Those things are God's plan. The tree bears fruit, which represents the different seasons of our life. They are learning experiences.
Over the past seven years my life has changed drastically. Most of the people who surrounded me seven years ago are either gone or not near to me. I have been forced to deal with constant economic and social challenges over these years. None of us would ever choose a path of struggle for ourselves. We all deal with issues of anger and frustration when we go through such times... It happens for a reason.
God allows me to choose the path of the Darkness or the Light. Darkness equals succumbing to negativity - fear. The "Light" is constantly referred to in the Bible. God is the "Light". Be righteous, trust and follow the Path of the Light through the seasons and you will be rewarded with God's Kingdom.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 17, 2013
I began recording the City Council late last year, because of my desire that the City do it on their own as any modern 21st century community began doing long ago. I had people tell me that they couldn't make it to the meetings, but they would like to see what is going on. I was also told by some council members that my summaries did not truly reflect the record, so having a video/audio recording cannot be misinterpreted.
So below is the City Council meeting. With each agenda item, you can click on the links and it will take you to that specific point in the meeting. You can always drag the marker on the video display to the point in the broadcast that you are interested in seeing.
Agenda about the City Council meeting of December 17, 2013 - Go to this link if you would like more information about the Agenda items.
Highlighted Links below take you straight to that point in the video.
Invocation by Associate Pastor Heather Davis, First Presbyterian Church
Special Presentations
A. The Viewmont Animal Hospital will be making a special presentation for the Hickory Police Department’s Canine program. The Viewmont Animal Hospital has provided veterinarian care for Hickory Police Department’s canines since the unit began in 1993 and is now collecting funds to purchase ballistic vests for Hickory Police Department’s canines. Chief Tom Adkins recognized the Police Departments K9 Unit that had been the vision of former Police Chief Lucas. Former Chief Lucas gave a brief history about the K9 Unit and recognized Viewmont Animal Clinic for their care of the dogs. Ms. Kelly Essam, a staff member of Viewmont Animal Clinic, had started a fund raising effort to purchase protective vests for the dogs. Presently three vests have been purchased, and they will continue the fund raising efforts to purchase one for the fourth dog. Master Police Officer Scott Pendleton discussed the training and care of the dogs.
B. Presentation of the Business Well Crafted Award by Dave Paist to Mr. Billy Ray Teague, Carolina Theatre Mr. Dave Paist of the Business Development Committee discussed the purpose of the committee and presented the Business Well Crafted Award to Mr. Billy Ray Teague, Co- Owner of Carolina Theater. Mr. Billy Ray Teague commented on the changes that had taken place at the theatre, and that it was a good hometown theater. He recognized several employees, including two former employees that went on to work for the Hickory Police Department. He thanked Council for the award.
Persons Requesting to Be Heard
Mrs. Allison Holtzman introduced a new group of citizens called “Friends of Hickory” and discussed the purpose of the group.
Mr. Hank Eimer continued the discussion about the group “Friends of Hickory” and discussed a meeting date of January 9, 2014, at 7:00 pm at Hollar Hosiery.
The Hound: Very Interesting to hear. I think you will also find it very interesting to see how receptive the Council was to these people compared to the way they have received others in the past.
Consent Agenda:
New Business - Public Hearings
1. Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-15 for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Cloninger Mill Road and North Center Street (NC 127 North). Tabled by the Council.
Bryan Frazier presents information regarding Zoning Change (Continued in Part 2)
I, James Thomas Shell, speak in favor of moving the process forward
2. Consideration of Amending Chapter 16 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances of the City of Hickory by Amending Section 16-43. Unanimous Consent.
3. Consideration of the Proposed Name Change of Carolina Park Located at 125 3rd Street NE, Hickory, to the Sally M. Fox Park. Unanimous Consent.
New Business - Departmental Reports
1. Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant Agreement with Shuford Mills, Inc. Presented by Dave Leonetti.
2. Resolution to Create the University City Commission. Presented by Staff Attorney Arnita Dula.
3.Overview of Concept Plan: Main Av Presented by Assistant City Manager Andrea Surratt
The Hound's initial thoughts about the meeting. I may add and tweak some information in the next few days. If you would like to add any comments please feel free to do so. If you would like to send me a private comment, send it to hickoryhound@gmail.com.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Initial thoughts about last night's city council meeting - 12/17/2013
I will have the city council meeting presentation up tomorrow night or Thursday morning. It was a three hour meeting in which many issues were discussed. It will take a lot of time to thoroughly discuss what happened at this meeting and it will have a lot of implications on the future of Hickory. They were loaded for bear with discussions tonight and that is a good things. No major decisions were made on this evening.
1) Public Hearing 1. Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-15 for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Cloninger Mill Road and North Center Street (NC 127 North). - The City of Hickory has submitted a petition to rezone 10.1 acres of property located at the northeast corner of Cloninger Mill Road NE and North Center Street (NC 127 North) from Neighborhood Center Commercial (NC) to Neighborhood Center Commercial – Conditional Zoning (NC-CZ). The conditional zoning district will place additional standards on the district that go above and beyond the standards contained in the NC district. All standard applicable to the base zoning district will remain in effect. This public hearing was advertised on December 6, 2013 and December 13, 2013 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.
The Hound: The Council elected to take no action on this rezoning. This is directly related to the proposed Cloninger Mill park that has already been master planned over four years ago. The park is not going to get built until this associated 10.1 acres is sold. The money from the sale of this property is supposed to be used to develop this park.
This will be a passive park meaning there are no football fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc. There would be a walking trail, mountain bike trail, biology classroom, a gazebo, and a conservancy. I believe this is the kind of park that young people would really enjoy and that is why it should have priority status. It was fine for the council to deliberate upon this decision, but there should have been a timeframe placed on the decision, especially if there are developers who are interested in moving forward. I would also like to see any tax monies collected from this property pumped back into the development of this park and other parks in Hickory when development does occur.
This park lies on the outskirts of the city limits and that is the reason why I believe it hasn't been given priority. As I have stated in the past, it is time to invest in areas besides Union Square. It is time to invest from the outside in. It is time to restore some balance in the development of Hickory.
The photos are no longer available, because Google changed the archiving system and I have to get the hard drive repaired that contains these photos, but all of the discussion related to this property is available below in the links.
Cloninger Mill Park - 3rd meeting - The Master Plan - 3/10/2009
You can read excerpts from the first meeting that was held September 24, 2008 here (1st Cloninger Mill Park Meeting) and the second meeting on January 15, 2009 meeting here (2nd Cloninger Mill Park Meeting).
2) Departmental Report 2. Resolution to Create the University City Commission. - City Council and Lenoir-Rhyne University officials have long desired to deepen the relationship between the two entities. Recent discussions have centered on finding ways to increase the student body’s presence in the community and the young adult population in Hickory while enhancing the collegiate atmosphere and promoting school pride. These discussions led to the mutual desire to create a joint city-university commission that would work to achieve these goals.
The Hound: This is great. I remember when the whole UNC-Hickory discussion took place back in 2007, my thoughts were that LR was getting thrown under the bus. Everyone seemed to be falling all over themselves about the possibilities, but the possibilities weren't realistic. There were some of us who could already see the local economy had become and was further becoming unhinged. There were way too many people who weren't worried about the educational dynamics of the area. They just wanted to build some infrastructure and thought they were mining for gold.
LR is a very good institution of learning. It is the Lutheran University of the region. The only reason it hasn't grown more throughout the last few decades is because the community and the Institution itself held itself back. There are many possibilities and opportunities for growth moving forward.
Hickory - Time to put the Puzzle together
3) Departmental Report 3. Overview of Concept Plan: Main Av - At the December 3rd Council meeting update on Inspiring Spaces, staff mentioned that the conceptual master plan for Main Avenue (Main Av) would be highlighted at the December 17th Council meeting. The project stems from the citizen-based Inspiring Spaces planning process. Main Av is Phase 1 of a multi year project which will eventually connect LRU to the LP Frans Baseball Stadium/Riverfront (Pier 321), Geitner Park and the improvements funded by the Lackey Family. Cost estimates for Main Av are being developed and the full plan will be presented to the Inspiring Spaces Steering Committee and City Council in
a joint meeting scheduled for January 28th.
The Hound: There were a lot of detailed pictures and conceptualized plans and they do look nice. This presentation had a lot of eye candy, but no costs were addressed. This is a very interesting plan, but it is obviously going to cost a ton of money.
1) Public Hearing 1. Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-15 for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Cloninger Mill Road and North Center Street (NC 127 North). - The City of Hickory has submitted a petition to rezone 10.1 acres of property located at the northeast corner of Cloninger Mill Road NE and North Center Street (NC 127 North) from Neighborhood Center Commercial (NC) to Neighborhood Center Commercial – Conditional Zoning (NC-CZ). The conditional zoning district will place additional standards on the district that go above and beyond the standards contained in the NC district. All standard applicable to the base zoning district will remain in effect. This public hearing was advertised on December 6, 2013 and December 13, 2013 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.
The Hound: The Council elected to take no action on this rezoning. This is directly related to the proposed Cloninger Mill park that has already been master planned over four years ago. The park is not going to get built until this associated 10.1 acres is sold. The money from the sale of this property is supposed to be used to develop this park.
This will be a passive park meaning there are no football fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc. There would be a walking trail, mountain bike trail, biology classroom, a gazebo, and a conservancy. I believe this is the kind of park that young people would really enjoy and that is why it should have priority status. It was fine for the council to deliberate upon this decision, but there should have been a timeframe placed on the decision, especially if there are developers who are interested in moving forward. I would also like to see any tax monies collected from this property pumped back into the development of this park and other parks in Hickory when development does occur.
This park lies on the outskirts of the city limits and that is the reason why I believe it hasn't been given priority. As I have stated in the past, it is time to invest in areas besides Union Square. It is time to invest from the outside in. It is time to restore some balance in the development of Hickory.
The photos are no longer available, because Google changed the archiving system and I have to get the hard drive repaired that contains these photos, but all of the discussion related to this property is available below in the links.
Cloninger Mill Park - 3rd meeting - The Master Plan - 3/10/2009
You can read excerpts from the first meeting that was held September 24, 2008 here (1st Cloninger Mill Park Meeting) and the second meeting on January 15, 2009 meeting here (2nd Cloninger Mill Park Meeting).
2) Departmental Report 2. Resolution to Create the University City Commission. - City Council and Lenoir-Rhyne University officials have long desired to deepen the relationship between the two entities. Recent discussions have centered on finding ways to increase the student body’s presence in the community and the young adult population in Hickory while enhancing the collegiate atmosphere and promoting school pride. These discussions led to the mutual desire to create a joint city-university commission that would work to achieve these goals.
The Hound: This is great. I remember when the whole UNC-Hickory discussion took place back in 2007, my thoughts were that LR was getting thrown under the bus. Everyone seemed to be falling all over themselves about the possibilities, but the possibilities weren't realistic. There were some of us who could already see the local economy had become and was further becoming unhinged. There were way too many people who weren't worried about the educational dynamics of the area. They just wanted to build some infrastructure and thought they were mining for gold.
LR is a very good institution of learning. It is the Lutheran University of the region. The only reason it hasn't grown more throughout the last few decades is because the community and the Institution itself held itself back. There are many possibilities and opportunities for growth moving forward.
Hickory - Time to put the Puzzle together
3) Departmental Report 3. Overview of Concept Plan: Main Av - At the December 3rd Council meeting update on Inspiring Spaces, staff mentioned that the conceptual master plan for Main Avenue (Main Av) would be highlighted at the December 17th Council meeting. The project stems from the citizen-based Inspiring Spaces planning process. Main Av is Phase 1 of a multi year project which will eventually connect LRU to the LP Frans Baseball Stadium/Riverfront (Pier 321), Geitner Park and the improvements funded by the Lackey Family. Cost estimates for Main Av are being developed and the full plan will be presented to the Inspiring Spaces Steering Committee and City Council in
a joint meeting scheduled for January 28th.
The Hound: There were a lot of detailed pictures and conceptualized plans and they do look nice. This presentation had a lot of eye candy, but no costs were addressed. This is a very interesting plan, but it is obviously going to cost a ton of money.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Freedom of Expression and Local Municipal Governments
Freedom of Expression issues involving local municipal governments have been growing it seems as of late. In Morganton, they have been broadcasting their meetings for years and Citizen comments have been a part of the local broadcast of those meetings and those comments were taking place at the end of meetings. In the past month, the Mayor and City Council of Morganton have taken it upon themselves to change those rules.
At the December 2, 2013meeting, the implementation of new rules took place. Citizen comments start 30 minutes before the City Council meeting takes place and they are no longer part ,of the agenda, so they are no longer recorded for broadcast on the City's Cable public access channel where these meetings have been broadcast in their entirety.
Why did the Morganton City Council take this action? Because there is a recall petition against Mayor Mel Cohen that started because the Council has taken several actions over the last several years that many people feel do not represent the will of the people. Currently there have been 1,600 signatures collected of the roughly 2,300 that are needed. Like most Mayors in the South, it seems that the Democratic process of citizen's government checks and balances just tears Mel Cohen up. He doesn't want any of this to be publicized and wants the citizen voice to be squelched.
A citizen of Morganton, Carol Snow, decided that she was going to record the Citizen Comments and request that this recording be put on COMPAS cable. You can see that video below. COMPAS cable said that they don't have to broadcast these minutes because Morganton Inc. owns the cable system. I don't believe that is the case. I believe that the citizens of Morganton own the cable system. This sounds like another legal case to me.
What we see is that local municipal leaders throughout the country are daring citizens to challenge them in court. They are willing to use the heavy hand of government to strong arm the citizenry to form policies that benefit only those tied into the crony system. The local governments have their lawyers and unlimited access to the public treasury to steer issues towards the municipal corporate interest even when that interest works against the interest and will of the majority of the public. Any citizen who attempts to stand up for the public will have to obtain legal representation to attempt to defend their inalienable Constitutional rights. This is expensive, but if you aren't willing to hire an attorney, then don't waste your time. And if you are seeking free legal representation, then please understand, you get what you pay for.
Yes, this isn't right... this isn't fair. This system is built to work against average, ordinary people. This system has destroyed citizen government and ushered in tyranny. As we travel further into the Hell on Earth model, people are going to have to be willing to stand up for themselves. Don't look for someone else to take responsibility for you. If you do not exercise your rights, you will lose them.
At the December 2, 2013meeting, the implementation of new rules took place. Citizen comments start 30 minutes before the City Council meeting takes place and they are no longer part ,of the agenda, so they are no longer recorded for broadcast on the City's Cable public access channel where these meetings have been broadcast in their entirety.
Why did the Morganton City Council take this action? Because there is a recall petition against Mayor Mel Cohen that started because the Council has taken several actions over the last several years that many people feel do not represent the will of the people. Currently there have been 1,600 signatures collected of the roughly 2,300 that are needed. Like most Mayors in the South, it seems that the Democratic process of citizen's government checks and balances just tears Mel Cohen up. He doesn't want any of this to be publicized and wants the citizen voice to be squelched.
A citizen of Morganton, Carol Snow, decided that she was going to record the Citizen Comments and request that this recording be put on COMPAS cable. You can see that video below. COMPAS cable said that they don't have to broadcast these minutes because Morganton Inc. owns the cable system. I don't believe that is the case. I believe that the citizens of Morganton own the cable system. This sounds like another legal case to me.
What we see is that local municipal leaders throughout the country are daring citizens to challenge them in court. They are willing to use the heavy hand of government to strong arm the citizenry to form policies that benefit only those tied into the crony system. The local governments have their lawyers and unlimited access to the public treasury to steer issues towards the municipal corporate interest even when that interest works against the interest and will of the majority of the public. Any citizen who attempts to stand up for the public will have to obtain legal representation to attempt to defend their inalienable Constitutional rights. This is expensive, but if you aren't willing to hire an attorney, then don't waste your time. And if you are seeking free legal representation, then please understand, you get what you pay for.
Yes, this isn't right... this isn't fair. This system is built to work against average, ordinary people. This system has destroyed citizen government and ushered in tyranny. As we travel further into the Hell on Earth model, people are going to have to be willing to stand up for themselves. Don't look for someone else to take responsibility for you. If you do not exercise your rights, you will lose them.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Economic Stories of Relevance in Today's World -- December 15, 2013
More Misleading Official Employment Statistics — Paul Craig Roberts - December 10, 2013 -
The payroll jobs report for November from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the US economy created 203,000 jobs in November. As it takes about 130,000 new jobs each month to keep up with population growth, if the payroll report is correct, then most of the new jobs would have been used up keeping the unemployment rate constant for the growth in the population of working age persons, and about 70,000 of the jobs would have slightly reduced the rate of unemployment. Yet, the unemployment rate (U3) fell from 7.3 to 7.0, which is too much for the job gain. It seems that the numbers and the news reports are not conveying correct information. As the payroll jobs and unemployment rate reports are released together and are usually covered in the same press report, it is natural to assume that the reports come from the same data. However, the unemployment rate is calculated from the household survey, not from payroll jobs, so there is no statistical relationship between the number of new payroll jobs and the change in the rate of unemployment. It is doubtful that the differences in the two data sets can be meaningfully resolved. Consider only the definitional differences. The payroll survey counts a person holding two jobs as if it were two employed persons, while the household survey counts a person holding two jobs as one job. Also the two surveys treated furloughed government workers during the shutdown differently. They were unemployed according to the household survey and employed according to the payroll survey. To delve into the meaning of the numbers produced by the two surveys, keep in mind that payroll jobs can increase simply because the birth-death model used to estimate the numbers of unreported business shutdowns and startups can underestimate the former and overestimate the latter. The unemployment rate can decline simply because the definition of the work force excludes discouraged workers. Thus, an increase in the number of discouraged workers can lower the measured rate of unemployment. Before reviewing this, let’s first assume that the story of 203,000 new payroll jobs in November is correct. Where does the BLS say these jobs are? Are these the long-missing New Economy jobs that we were promised in exchange for giving China our well-paid manufacturing jobs and giving India our well-paid professional service jobs? Unfortunately, no.
Now That Obama Is Allowing Chicken From China, What Will That Do To The Chicken Industry? - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - December 11th, 2013 - Do you know what is in your chicken nuggets? Thanks to Barack Obama, that is going to be a more important question than ever. At the end of August, the Obama administration quietly decided to start allowing Chinese poultry processors to ship processed chicken into the United States. For now, the meat must originate either in the United States or in another country where the poultry population has been certified to be safe. What that means is that chickens from the United States will be shipped all the way over to China, processed in plants over there, and then shipped back across the Pacific Ocean for us to eat. Only a limited number of companies are expected to take advantage of this, but according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, a USDA report that Congress has seen indicates that China will likely be allowed to directly import their own chickens into this country "within a year". What makes all of this even more disturbing is that a country-of-origin label will not be required on any of the chicken that is processed in China. So in the years ahead you could be eating chicken processed in China and not even know it. Each year, U.S. consumers spend about 70 billion dollars on chicken. That is a tremendous amount of money, and the U.S. chicken industry supports a huge number of jobs. So what is going to happen if cheap chicken from China starts flooding the market? It shouldn't take too much imagination to figure out what is going to happen. This is a movie that we have seen too many times before. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of U.S. businesses and millions of good paying jobs have been lost due to "competition" from communist China.
Why John Boehner And Paul Ryan Should Immediately Resign - The End of the American Dream Blog - By Michael Snyder, on December 11th, 2013 - Thomas Jefferson once said that “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” In other words, he believed that government debt was the equivalent of stealing money from future generations on a massive scale. Right now, the U.S. government is stealing roughly $100,000,000 from future generations of Americans every single hour of every single day. And it is being projected that the U.S. national debt will more than double during the 8 years of the Obama administration. In other words, the federal government will pile more debt on to the backs of our children and our grandchildren during the Obama years than had been accumulated during all of the rest of U.S. history combined. The federal government is literally destroying the future of America, and what we are doing to our children and our grandchildren is beyond criminal. If there was one thing that the Republicans in Congress were supposed to do, it was to do something about all of this debt. These days Republicans can’t seem to agree on much, but the one issue that virtually all “conservatives” were supposed to agree on was the national debt. The American people gave the Republicans control of the House in 2010 and 2012 for a reason. Unfortunately, nothing has been done. Our debt has continued to spiral out of control and now John Boehner and Paul Ryan are pushing a “budget deal” that will essentially give the free-spending Democrats virtually everything that they want for the next 10 years. That is why John Boehner and Paul Ryan should immediately resign. This “budget deal” actually increases the deficit in the short-term. Yes, you read that correctly. Overall, it is supposed to reduce the federal budget deficit by about 20 billion dollars over the next decade. But even if the unrealistic assumptions that those numbers are based upon end up working out (which they never do), the “savings” will average just 2 billion dollars a year over the next decade. And considering the fact that federal budget deficits will likely average well over a trillion dollars over that time span, that is a complete and total joke. It is kind of like spitting into Niagara Falls and thinking that it will actually make a difference. Even Paul Ryan is admitting that “this isn’t the greatest agreement of all time”, and in interviews he is complaining that the Democrats wouldn’t allow him to do more.
Fact Check: Paul Ryan Twisted Truth to Sell Budget Deal to House - Breitbart - Matthew Boyle - December 14, 2013 - House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) misled his colleagues in the House of Representatives about several major areas of the budget deal he cut with Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Breitbart News has learned....
Gerald Celente: Founder & Director of the Trends Research Institute - Gerald gives the King World News audience an exclusive into his amazing “New 2014 Predictions.” Gerald has had a long track record of making some of the most controversial, yet correct calls in terms of global trends and events. In fact, many consider Mr. Celente to be the top trends forecaster in the world. Gerald has been quoted and interviewed in media throughout the world such as, CNBC, Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, BBC, Time Magazine, The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, FT, U.S. News, World Report, The Economist, L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and more.
Link to Gerald Celente interview - December 14, 2013
The myth of the American Dream - CNN Money - Steve Hargreaves - December 10, 2013 - The American Dream is supposed to mean that through hard work and perseverance, even the poorest people can make it to middle class or above. But it's actually harder to move up in America than it is in most other advanced nations. It's easier to rise above the class you're born into in countries like Japan, Germany, Australia, and the Scandinavian nations, according to research from University of Ottawa economist and current Russell Sage Foundation Fellow Miles Corak.
Among the major developed countries, only in Italy and the United Kingdom is there less economic mobility, according to Corak. The research measures "intergenerational earnings elasticity" -- a type of economic mobility that measures the correlation between what your parents make and what you make one generation later -- in a number of different countries around the world.
Most Americans born into the lower class stay in the lower class.
Economists aren't certain exactly why some countries have a greater degree of mobility than others, but they do point to certain similarities. Greater current inequality: The more unequal a society is currently, the greater the chance that the children will be stuck in the same sphere. This is because wealthy families are able to provide things like tutors and extracurricular activities -- and the time to pursue them -- that poorer families often cannot. Also, education matters a lot more now than it did 100 years ago in terms of getting a good job.
"The rich can pump a lot more money into their kids' future," said Corak. This helps explain why counties like China, India and many South American nations also exhibit relatively little economic mobility. Families: Having a stable home life is also associated with the ability to climb the economic ladder, said Corak. The United States tends to have higher rates of divorce, single-parent homes, and teenage pregnancy than many other industrialized counties. Social policies: Counties that redistribute wealth -- through, say, higher taxes on the rich and more spending on the poor -- tend to have greater social mobility, said Francisco Ferreira, an economist at the World Bank.
American Dream: R.I.P. - Washington's Blog - December 11, 2013 - Two Thirds of All Americans Think the American Dream Is Dead - We noted in 2010 that the American Dream had moved abroad … since social mobility between generations is dramatically lower in the U.S. than in many other developed countries. We reported last year that both conservatives and liberals are worried about the collapse of social mobility in America. Income inequality has increased more under Obama than under Bush. Inequality in America today is worse than it was in Gilded Age America, modern Egypt, Tunisia or Yemen, many banana republics in Latin America, and worse than experienced by slaves in 1774 colonial America. It is twice as bad as in ancient Rome – which was built on slave labor. Background here and here...
CommScope to shutter Statesville plant, removing 100 jobs from Iredell economy - Charlotte Business Journal - ken Elkins - December 12, 2013 - CommScope Holding Co. Inc. will close a 100-employee plant in Statesville and sell equipment used in the production of metal grounding wire and rods. Some of the Statesville employees will be able to find jobs in CommScope facilities in Catawba or Claremont, the Hickory-based company (NASDAQ:COMM) says. Michael Smith, executive director of Statesville Regional Development, says he’s “saddened” to learn that the plant is closing. “While there is no ‘good’ time to make an announcement of this nature, it is particularly difficult during the holidays, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the employees and their families,” Smith states in a news release issued this morning about the closing. He promised to quickly fill the plant with another manufacturer, just as the economic-development agency has done in at least six instances in the recent past. Smith says he has two announcements coming about new occupants for two other currently empty production facilities in the Statesville area. CommScope's 315,000-square-foot Statesville plant, located at 125 CommScope Way on the northwest side of town, started production in December 1997. Operations in at the plant will slow “almost immediately,” but the transition may take up to a year to complete, CommScope spokesman Joe Depa says.
The payroll jobs report for November from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the US economy created 203,000 jobs in November. As it takes about 130,000 new jobs each month to keep up with population growth, if the payroll report is correct, then most of the new jobs would have been used up keeping the unemployment rate constant for the growth in the population of working age persons, and about 70,000 of the jobs would have slightly reduced the rate of unemployment. Yet, the unemployment rate (U3) fell from 7.3 to 7.0, which is too much for the job gain. It seems that the numbers and the news reports are not conveying correct information. As the payroll jobs and unemployment rate reports are released together and are usually covered in the same press report, it is natural to assume that the reports come from the same data. However, the unemployment rate is calculated from the household survey, not from payroll jobs, so there is no statistical relationship between the number of new payroll jobs and the change in the rate of unemployment. It is doubtful that the differences in the two data sets can be meaningfully resolved. Consider only the definitional differences. The payroll survey counts a person holding two jobs as if it were two employed persons, while the household survey counts a person holding two jobs as one job. Also the two surveys treated furloughed government workers during the shutdown differently. They were unemployed according to the household survey and employed according to the payroll survey. To delve into the meaning of the numbers produced by the two surveys, keep in mind that payroll jobs can increase simply because the birth-death model used to estimate the numbers of unreported business shutdowns and startups can underestimate the former and overestimate the latter. The unemployment rate can decline simply because the definition of the work force excludes discouraged workers. Thus, an increase in the number of discouraged workers can lower the measured rate of unemployment. Before reviewing this, let’s first assume that the story of 203,000 new payroll jobs in November is correct. Where does the BLS say these jobs are? Are these the long-missing New Economy jobs that we were promised in exchange for giving China our well-paid manufacturing jobs and giving India our well-paid professional service jobs? Unfortunately, no.
Now That Obama Is Allowing Chicken From China, What Will That Do To The Chicken Industry? - The Economic Collapse Blog - Michael Snyder - December 11th, 2013 - Do you know what is in your chicken nuggets? Thanks to Barack Obama, that is going to be a more important question than ever. At the end of August, the Obama administration quietly decided to start allowing Chinese poultry processors to ship processed chicken into the United States. For now, the meat must originate either in the United States or in another country where the poultry population has been certified to be safe. What that means is that chickens from the United States will be shipped all the way over to China, processed in plants over there, and then shipped back across the Pacific Ocean for us to eat. Only a limited number of companies are expected to take advantage of this, but according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, a USDA report that Congress has seen indicates that China will likely be allowed to directly import their own chickens into this country "within a year". What makes all of this even more disturbing is that a country-of-origin label will not be required on any of the chicken that is processed in China. So in the years ahead you could be eating chicken processed in China and not even know it. Each year, U.S. consumers spend about 70 billion dollars on chicken. That is a tremendous amount of money, and the U.S. chicken industry supports a huge number of jobs. So what is going to happen if cheap chicken from China starts flooding the market? It shouldn't take too much imagination to figure out what is going to happen. This is a movie that we have seen too many times before. Over the past decade, tens of thousands of U.S. businesses and millions of good paying jobs have been lost due to "competition" from communist China.
Why John Boehner And Paul Ryan Should Immediately Resign - The End of the American Dream Blog - By Michael Snyder, on December 11th, 2013 - Thomas Jefferson once said that “the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.” In other words, he believed that government debt was the equivalent of stealing money from future generations on a massive scale. Right now, the U.S. government is stealing roughly $100,000,000 from future generations of Americans every single hour of every single day. And it is being projected that the U.S. national debt will more than double during the 8 years of the Obama administration. In other words, the federal government will pile more debt on to the backs of our children and our grandchildren during the Obama years than had been accumulated during all of the rest of U.S. history combined. The federal government is literally destroying the future of America, and what we are doing to our children and our grandchildren is beyond criminal. If there was one thing that the Republicans in Congress were supposed to do, it was to do something about all of this debt. These days Republicans can’t seem to agree on much, but the one issue that virtually all “conservatives” were supposed to agree on was the national debt. The American people gave the Republicans control of the House in 2010 and 2012 for a reason. Unfortunately, nothing has been done. Our debt has continued to spiral out of control and now John Boehner and Paul Ryan are pushing a “budget deal” that will essentially give the free-spending Democrats virtually everything that they want for the next 10 years. That is why John Boehner and Paul Ryan should immediately resign. This “budget deal” actually increases the deficit in the short-term. Yes, you read that correctly. Overall, it is supposed to reduce the federal budget deficit by about 20 billion dollars over the next decade. But even if the unrealistic assumptions that those numbers are based upon end up working out (which they never do), the “savings” will average just 2 billion dollars a year over the next decade. And considering the fact that federal budget deficits will likely average well over a trillion dollars over that time span, that is a complete and total joke. It is kind of like spitting into Niagara Falls and thinking that it will actually make a difference. Even Paul Ryan is admitting that “this isn’t the greatest agreement of all time”, and in interviews he is complaining that the Democrats wouldn’t allow him to do more.
Fact Check: Paul Ryan Twisted Truth to Sell Budget Deal to House - Breitbart - Matthew Boyle - December 14, 2013 - House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) misled his colleagues in the House of Representatives about several major areas of the budget deal he cut with Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Breitbart News has learned....
Gerald Celente: Founder & Director of the Trends Research Institute - Gerald gives the King World News audience an exclusive into his amazing “New 2014 Predictions.” Gerald has had a long track record of making some of the most controversial, yet correct calls in terms of global trends and events. In fact, many consider Mr. Celente to be the top trends forecaster in the world. Gerald has been quoted and interviewed in media throughout the world such as, CNBC, Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC, BBC, Time Magazine, The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, FT, U.S. News, World Report, The Economist, L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post and more.
Link to Gerald Celente interview - December 14, 2013
The myth of the American Dream - CNN Money - Steve Hargreaves - December 10, 2013 - The American Dream is supposed to mean that through hard work and perseverance, even the poorest people can make it to middle class or above. But it's actually harder to move up in America than it is in most other advanced nations. It's easier to rise above the class you're born into in countries like Japan, Germany, Australia, and the Scandinavian nations, according to research from University of Ottawa economist and current Russell Sage Foundation Fellow Miles Corak.
Most Americans born into the lower class stay in the lower class.
Economists aren't certain exactly why some countries have a greater degree of mobility than others, but they do point to certain similarities. Greater current inequality: The more unequal a society is currently, the greater the chance that the children will be stuck in the same sphere. This is because wealthy families are able to provide things like tutors and extracurricular activities -- and the time to pursue them -- that poorer families often cannot. Also, education matters a lot more now than it did 100 years ago in terms of getting a good job.
"The rich can pump a lot more money into their kids' future," said Corak. This helps explain why counties like China, India and many South American nations also exhibit relatively little economic mobility. Families: Having a stable home life is also associated with the ability to climb the economic ladder, said Corak. The United States tends to have higher rates of divorce, single-parent homes, and teenage pregnancy than many other industrialized counties. Social policies: Counties that redistribute wealth -- through, say, higher taxes on the rich and more spending on the poor -- tend to have greater social mobility, said Francisco Ferreira, an economist at the World Bank.
American Dream: R.I.P. - Washington's Blog - December 11, 2013 - Two Thirds of All Americans Think the American Dream Is Dead - We noted in 2010 that the American Dream had moved abroad … since social mobility between generations is dramatically lower in the U.S. than in many other developed countries. We reported last year that both conservatives and liberals are worried about the collapse of social mobility in America. Income inequality has increased more under Obama than under Bush. Inequality in America today is worse than it was in Gilded Age America, modern Egypt, Tunisia or Yemen, many banana republics in Latin America, and worse than experienced by slaves in 1774 colonial America. It is twice as bad as in ancient Rome – which was built on slave labor. Background here and here...
CommScope to shutter Statesville plant, removing 100 jobs from Iredell economy - Charlotte Business Journal - ken Elkins - December 12, 2013 - CommScope Holding Co. Inc. will close a 100-employee plant in Statesville and sell equipment used in the production of metal grounding wire and rods. Some of the Statesville employees will be able to find jobs in CommScope facilities in Catawba or Claremont, the Hickory-based company (NASDAQ:COMM) says. Michael Smith, executive director of Statesville Regional Development, says he’s “saddened” to learn that the plant is closing. “While there is no ‘good’ time to make an announcement of this nature, it is particularly difficult during the holidays, and we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the employees and their families,” Smith states in a news release issued this morning about the closing. He promised to quickly fill the plant with another manufacturer, just as the economic-development agency has done in at least six instances in the recent past. Smith says he has two announcements coming about new occupants for two other currently empty production facilities in the Statesville area. CommScope's 315,000-square-foot Statesville plant, located at 125 CommScope Way on the northwest side of town, started production in December 1997. Operations in at the plant will slow “almost immediately,” but the transition may take up to a year to complete, CommScope spokesman Joe Depa says.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Congrats to Lenoir-Rhyne Football
They will be playing in the NCAA Division 2 Championship game! They blew out West Chester (Pa.) 42-14!
http://www.ncaa.com/game/football/d2/2013/12/14/west-chester-lenoir-rhyne/play-by-play
http://www.ncaa.com/game/football/d2/2013/12/14/west-chester-lenoir-rhyne/play-by-play
Agenda about the City Council meeting of December 17, 2013
This Agenda is about the Hickory City Council meeting that took place on
the date listed above. City council meetings are held on the first and
third Tuesdays of each Month in the Council Chambers of the Julian
Whitener building.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date. You can also look in the upper right hand corner of the front page of the Hickory Hound and (will soon) find the link to the past history of Hickory City Newsletters.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:
Please remember that pressing Ctrl and + will magnify the text and page and pressing Ctrl and - will make the text and page smaller. This will help the readability for those with smaller screens and/or eye difficulties.
City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center
City Council Agenda - December 17, 2013
Invocation by Rev. Whit Malone, Pastor First Presbyterian Church
Special Presentations
A. The Viewmont Animal Hospital will be making a special presentation for the Hickory Police Department’s Canine program. The Viewmont Animal Hospital has provided veterinarian care for Hickory Police Department’s canines since the unit began in 1993 and is now collecting funds to purchase ballistic vests for Hickory Police Department’s canines.
B. Presentation of the Business Well Crafted Award by Dave Paist to Mr. Billy Ray Teague, Carolina Theatre
Persons Requesting to Be Heard
Consent Agenda:
A. Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from B. Stuart Terry and wife, Frances B. Terry to Connie Dale Reese in Oakwood Cemetery
B. Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from B. Stuart Terry and wife, Frances B. Terry to Robert W. Williams and wife, Gaye B. Williams in Oakwood Cemetery
C. Accept and Enter Into the Minutes Certification of Votes from November 5, 2013 Election from the Catawba County Board of Elections.
D. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs. - The following request was considered by the Citizens’ Advisory Committee at their regular meeting on December 5, 2013:
The following applicant is being recommended for approval for assistance under the City of Hickory’s 2012-2013 Urgent Repair Program. This program provides qualified low income citizens with assistance for emergency-related repairs not to exceed $5,400.
Luke Crutchfield, 383 17th Avenue NE, Hickory
E. Call for Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-13 for Property Located at 730 5th Ave NE, Hickory. (Authorize Public Hearing for January 7, 2014)
F. Call for Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-14 for Property Located at 32 22nd Avenue NE, Hickory. (Authorize Public Hearing for January 7, 2014)
G. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 11.
1. To budget a $100 Hickory Woman’s Club donation in the children’s books line item.
2. To budget a total of $95 in memorial donations for Elizabeth Birrell in the non-fiction books line item.
3. To budget $27,500 of North Carolina Department of Commerce revenue in the Economic and Community Development Incentives line item. A grant was approved by the Department of Commerce One North Carolina Fund in the amount of $110,000. This amendment represents the second partial grant disbursement to Turbocoating Corp.
New Business - Public Hearings
1. Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-15 for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Cloninger Mill Road and North Center Street (NC 127 North). - The City of Hickory has submitted a petition to rezone 10.1 acres of property located at the northeast corner of Cloninger Mill Road NE and North Center Street (NC 127 North) from Neighborhood Center Commercial (NC) to Neighborhood Center Commercial – Conditional Zoning (NC-CZ). The conditional zoning district will place additional standards on the district that go above and beyond the standards contained in the NC district. All standard applicable to the base zoning district will remain in effect. This public hearing was advertised on December 6, 2013 and December 13, 2013 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.
2. Consideration of Amending Chapter 16 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances of the City of Hickory by Amending Section 16-43.- Chapter 16 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances regulates secondhand precious metal dealers in the City of Hickory. The provisions of the chapter are based on applicable North Carolina General Statutes. After review of Chapter 16, Section 16-43 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances, it was determined that an amendment was needed to revise Section 16-43 to comply with the statute.
3. Consideration of the Proposed Name Change of Carolina Park Located at 125 3rd Street NE, Hickory, to the Sally M. Fox Park. - City Council desires to rename Carolina Park to Sally M. Fox Park. Sally Fox served as Ward 5 Alderwoman for the City of Hickory for 20 years, and was an
environmental advocate and a supporter of activities that sought to strengthen the urban fabric and beautify Hickory.
New Business - Departmental Reports
1. Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant Agreement with Shuford Mills, Inc. - Shuford Mills, Inc. has applied for the Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant in the amount of $20,000 to assist in the demolition of the former AA Shuford Mill located at 1360 Highland Avenue NE. After demolition, the applicant plans to re-grade the site and market it for future development. The applicant plans to spend $215,000 to demolish the former mill building. The
grant program can reimburse up to $20,000 or 35% of eligible project costs, whichever is less, for demolition projects. This project would be eligible for a grant in the amount of $20,000.
2. Resolution to Create the University City Commission. - City Council and Lenoir-Rhyne University officials have long desired to deepen the relationship between the two entities. Recent discussions have centered on finding ways to increase the student body’s presence in the community and the young adult population in Hickory while enhancing the collegiate atmosphere and promoting school pride. These discussions led to the mutual desire to create a joint city-university commission that would work to achieve these goals.
3. Overview of Concept Plan: Main Av - At the December 3rd Council meeting update on Inspiring Spaces, staff mentioned that the conceptual master plan for Main Avenue (Main Av) would be highlighted at the December 17th Council meeting. The project stems from the citizen-based Inspiring Spaces planning process. Main Av is Phase 1 of a multi year project which will eventually connect LRU to the LP Frans Baseball Stadium/Riverfront (Pier 321), Geitner Park and the improvements funded by the Lackey Family. Cost estimates for Main Av are being developed and the full plan will be presented to the Inspiring Spaces Steering Committee and City Council in
a joint meeting scheduled for January 28th.
At right of this page under Main Information links is an Hickory's City Website link. If you click on that link, it takes you to our city’s website, at the left of the page you will see the Agenda's and Minutes link you need to click. This will give you a choice of PDF files to upcoming and previous meetings.
You will find historic Agenda and Minutes links. Agendas show what is on the docket for the meeting of that date. The Minutes is an actual summary of the proceedings of the meeting of that date. You can also look in the upper right hand corner of the front page of the Hickory Hound and (will soon) find the link to the past history of Hickory City Newsletters.
Here is a summary of the agenda of the meeting. There were a couple of important items that were discussed at this meeting and the details are listed further below:
Please remember that pressing Ctrl and + will magnify the text and page and pressing Ctrl and - will make the text and page smaller. This will help the readability for those with smaller screens and/or eye difficulties.
City Website has changed - Here is a link to the City of Hickory Document Center
City Council Agenda - December 17, 2013Invocation by Rev. Whit Malone, Pastor First Presbyterian Church
Special Presentations
A. The Viewmont Animal Hospital will be making a special presentation for the Hickory Police Department’s Canine program. The Viewmont Animal Hospital has provided veterinarian care for Hickory Police Department’s canines since the unit began in 1993 and is now collecting funds to purchase ballistic vests for Hickory Police Department’s canines.
B. Presentation of the Business Well Crafted Award by Dave Paist to Mr. Billy Ray Teague, Carolina Theatre
Persons Requesting to Be Heard
Consent Agenda:
A. Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from B. Stuart Terry and wife, Frances B. Terry to Connie Dale Reese in Oakwood Cemetery
B. Transfer of a Cemetery Deed from B. Stuart Terry and wife, Frances B. Terry to Robert W. Williams and wife, Gaye B. Williams in Oakwood Cemetery
C. Accept and Enter Into the Minutes Certification of Votes from November 5, 2013 Election from the Catawba County Board of Elections.
D. Citizens’ Advisory Committee Recommendations for Assistance through the City of Hickory’s Housing Programs. - The following request was considered by the Citizens’ Advisory Committee at their regular meeting on December 5, 2013:
The following applicant is being recommended for approval for assistance under the City of Hickory’s 2012-2013 Urgent Repair Program. This program provides qualified low income citizens with assistance for emergency-related repairs not to exceed $5,400.
Luke Crutchfield, 383 17th Avenue NE, Hickory
E. Call for Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-13 for Property Located at 730 5th Ave NE, Hickory. (Authorize Public Hearing for January 7, 2014)
F. Call for Public Hearing - For the Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-14 for Property Located at 32 22nd Avenue NE, Hickory. (Authorize Public Hearing for January 7, 2014)
G. Budget Ordinance Amendment Number 11.
1. To budget a $100 Hickory Woman’s Club donation in the children’s books line item.
2. To budget a total of $95 in memorial donations for Elizabeth Birrell in the non-fiction books line item.
3. To budget $27,500 of North Carolina Department of Commerce revenue in the Economic and Community Development Incentives line item. A grant was approved by the Department of Commerce One North Carolina Fund in the amount of $110,000. This amendment represents the second partial grant disbursement to Turbocoating Corp.
New Business - Public Hearings
1. Consideration of Rezoning Petition 13-15 for Property Located at the Northeast Corner of Cloninger Mill Road and North Center Street (NC 127 North). - The City of Hickory has submitted a petition to rezone 10.1 acres of property located at the northeast corner of Cloninger Mill Road NE and North Center Street (NC 127 North) from Neighborhood Center Commercial (NC) to Neighborhood Center Commercial – Conditional Zoning (NC-CZ). The conditional zoning district will place additional standards on the district that go above and beyond the standards contained in the NC district. All standard applicable to the base zoning district will remain in effect. This public hearing was advertised on December 6, 2013 and December 13, 2013 in a newspaper having general circulation in the Hickory area.
2. Consideration of Amending Chapter 16 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances of the City of Hickory by Amending Section 16-43.- Chapter 16 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances regulates secondhand precious metal dealers in the City of Hickory. The provisions of the chapter are based on applicable North Carolina General Statutes. After review of Chapter 16, Section 16-43 of the Hickory Code of Ordinances, it was determined that an amendment was needed to revise Section 16-43 to comply with the statute.
3. Consideration of the Proposed Name Change of Carolina Park Located at 125 3rd Street NE, Hickory, to the Sally M. Fox Park. - City Council desires to rename Carolina Park to Sally M. Fox Park. Sally Fox served as Ward 5 Alderwoman for the City of Hickory for 20 years, and was an
environmental advocate and a supporter of activities that sought to strengthen the urban fabric and beautify Hickory.
New Business - Departmental Reports
1. Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant Agreement with Shuford Mills, Inc. - Shuford Mills, Inc. has applied for the Vacant Building Revitalization and Demolition Grant in the amount of $20,000 to assist in the demolition of the former AA Shuford Mill located at 1360 Highland Avenue NE. After demolition, the applicant plans to re-grade the site and market it for future development. The applicant plans to spend $215,000 to demolish the former mill building. The
grant program can reimburse up to $20,000 or 35% of eligible project costs, whichever is less, for demolition projects. This project would be eligible for a grant in the amount of $20,000.
2. Resolution to Create the University City Commission. - City Council and Lenoir-Rhyne University officials have long desired to deepen the relationship between the two entities. Recent discussions have centered on finding ways to increase the student body’s presence in the community and the young adult population in Hickory while enhancing the collegiate atmosphere and promoting school pride. These discussions led to the mutual desire to create a joint city-university commission that would work to achieve these goals.
3. Overview of Concept Plan: Main Av - At the December 3rd Council meeting update on Inspiring Spaces, staff mentioned that the conceptual master plan for Main Avenue (Main Av) would be highlighted at the December 17th Council meeting. The project stems from the citizen-based Inspiring Spaces planning process. Main Av is Phase 1 of a multi year project which will eventually connect LRU to the LP Frans Baseball Stadium/Riverfront (Pier 321), Geitner Park and the improvements funded by the Lackey Family. Cost estimates for Main Av are being developed and the full plan will be presented to the Inspiring Spaces Steering Committee and City Council in
a joint meeting scheduled for January 28th.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
The Mayor of Realville
That is what I'm going to start calling myself, because that is where I reside and since there are people who want to point a finger of blame at me as some kind of leader of a movement, then go ahead.
Everything these days seems to be baked in propaganda. The Left blames the Right; the Right blames the Left. Most of the people surrounding me speak a different language than me. I don't know much about current TV Shows. I don't know much about the current IPhone. I know I can't afford one. I don't watch Fox news, CNN, or CNBC. I can't afford a monthly TV payment these days. I haven't shopped in a mall in over a decade.
In my world you don't buy a new Volvo for your significant other for Christmas. In this world, the kisses don't begin with Kay. In my world, television would reflect a large portion of reality. It isn't worth my time watching something that is like a foreign language to me. How is it economical for these companies that advertise to target to such a small audience.
Edward Bernays was a nephew of Sigmund Freud and he is considered the father of Public Relations and Propoganda. He studied and understood the herd mentality of society and he was a genius at figuring out ways to manipulate the public.
Before Bernays, companies attempted to sell products based upon a need basis and/or upon a quality basis. Bernays figured out ways to change the corporate-consumer mentality to that of selling products based upon desire and eventually leveraging that by tying it to consumer debt. Translated: He is the person who was able to get people to go into debt to buy things they didn't really need.
Bernays also revolved in and out of the governmental and corporate world his entire adult life. He served and advised in the Wilson, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower administrations and was involved in all levels of government.
What modern American functionaries can't seem to grasp is that it is not necessary for every message put out by the government to ring out with extremes. What we need to see is the levelheadedness, consistency, and steadiness that come with Reality. The Manic-Depressive, A.D.D. state of the American populace creates its own worst enemy. That is the reason why on the Global Scale we are currently getting our lunch eaten.
Who are the elite in this country trying to impress? It is more than evident that they only care about impressing themselves. This cockiness we see does not emote self-confidence. It is more than apparent that it is a facade that hides an underlying lack of self-esteem. I learned long ago that materialism does not build a solid foundation for the Pursuit of Happiness.
Here in Realville, we don't care about impressing others. The only thing we ask for is R-E-S-P-E-C-T. When we get it, we give it. We don't care about how much money you have or who you work for. Here in Realville, everyone is welcomed, but you'll be checking your baggage at the door. Here in Realville, everyone is equal and everyone will have the opportunity to participate in the growth of the community of reality.
Please join in. All are welcome as we look to repel the tyrannical forces of Fantasyland that have pillaged and plundered truth and common sense. If others will join me, I will graciously accept term limits and look to move forward in running for Governor of Reallandia. Who knows maybe I will eventually become the President of the Republic of Realdom.
The reality of today is that it is up to US to move forward.
Everything these days seems to be baked in propaganda. The Left blames the Right; the Right blames the Left. Most of the people surrounding me speak a different language than me. I don't know much about current TV Shows. I don't know much about the current IPhone. I know I can't afford one. I don't watch Fox news, CNN, or CNBC. I can't afford a monthly TV payment these days. I haven't shopped in a mall in over a decade.
In my world you don't buy a new Volvo for your significant other for Christmas. In this world, the kisses don't begin with Kay. In my world, television would reflect a large portion of reality. It isn't worth my time watching something that is like a foreign language to me. How is it economical for these companies that advertise to target to such a small audience.
Edward Bernays was a nephew of Sigmund Freud and he is considered the father of Public Relations and Propoganda. He studied and understood the herd mentality of society and he was a genius at figuring out ways to manipulate the public.
Before Bernays, companies attempted to sell products based upon a need basis and/or upon a quality basis. Bernays figured out ways to change the corporate-consumer mentality to that of selling products based upon desire and eventually leveraging that by tying it to consumer debt. Translated: He is the person who was able to get people to go into debt to buy things they didn't really need.
Bernays also revolved in and out of the governmental and corporate world his entire adult life. He served and advised in the Wilson, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower administrations and was involved in all levels of government.
What modern American functionaries can't seem to grasp is that it is not necessary for every message put out by the government to ring out with extremes. What we need to see is the levelheadedness, consistency, and steadiness that come with Reality. The Manic-Depressive, A.D.D. state of the American populace creates its own worst enemy. That is the reason why on the Global Scale we are currently getting our lunch eaten.
Who are the elite in this country trying to impress? It is more than evident that they only care about impressing themselves. This cockiness we see does not emote self-confidence. It is more than apparent that it is a facade that hides an underlying lack of self-esteem. I learned long ago that materialism does not build a solid foundation for the Pursuit of Happiness.
Here in Realville, we don't care about impressing others. The only thing we ask for is R-E-S-P-E-C-T. When we get it, we give it. We don't care about how much money you have or who you work for. Here in Realville, everyone is welcomed, but you'll be checking your baggage at the door. Here in Realville, everyone is equal and everyone will have the opportunity to participate in the growth of the community of reality.
Please join in. All are welcome as we look to repel the tyrannical forces of Fantasyland that have pillaged and plundered truth and common sense. If others will join me, I will graciously accept term limits and look to move forward in running for Governor of Reallandia. Who knows maybe I will eventually become the President of the Republic of Realdom.
The reality of today is that it is up to US to move forward.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Bibliography of Hickory Hound City Council Newsletters
*** The following is the complete list of Hickory City Council Meetings as reported by the Hickory Hound. I will update ASAP as meetings occur going forward. The link is permanantly located to the right under Hickory Hound Groups. Other Bibliographies will be located there as well going forward.
2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 3, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 5, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 15, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 1, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 17, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 3, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 20, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 6, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 16, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 18, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 4, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 21, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 7, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 16, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 2, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 5, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 5, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 15, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 2, 2013
2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 18, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 4, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 20, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 6, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 16, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 2, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 18, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 4, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 21, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 7, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 17, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 19, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 5, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 15, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 1, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 17, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 3, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 20, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 6, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 21, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 7, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 17, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 3, 2012
2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 20, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 6, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 15, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 1, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 18, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 4, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 20, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 6, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 16, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 2, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 19, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 21, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 7, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 17, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 3, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 19, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 5, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 15, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 1, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 15, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 1, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 18, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 4, 2011
2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 21, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 7, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 16, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 2, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 19, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 5, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 21, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 7, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 17, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 3, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 20, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 15, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 1, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 18, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 4, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 20, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 6, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 23, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 2, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 16, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 2, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 19, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 5, 2010
2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 15, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 1, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 17, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 3, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 20, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 6, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 15, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 1, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 18, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 4, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 21, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 16, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 2, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 19, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 5, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 21, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 7, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 17, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 3, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 17, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 3, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 20, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council Meeting of January 6, 2009
2008
Newsletter about the City Council Meeting of December 16, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council Meeting of December 2, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 18, 2008
Newsletter about the (Drinking Establishment) Moratorium Workshop on November 4, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 4, 2008
Newsletter about the Planning/Zoning Meeting of October 22, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 21, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 7, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 16, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 2, 2008
2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 3, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 5, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 15, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 1, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 17, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 3, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 20, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 6, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 16, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 18, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 4, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 21, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 7, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 16, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 2, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 5, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 19, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 5, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 15, 2013
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 2, 2013
2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 18, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 4, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 20, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 6, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 16, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 2, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 18, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 4, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 21, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 7, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 17, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 19, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 5, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 15, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 1, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 17, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 3, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 20, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 6, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 21, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 7, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 17, 2012
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 3, 2012
2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 20, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 6, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 15, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 1, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 18, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 4, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 20, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 6, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 16, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 2, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 19, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 21, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 7, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 17, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 3, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 19, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 5, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 15, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 1, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 15, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 1, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 18, 2011
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 4, 2011
2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 21, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 7, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 16, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 2, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 19, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 5, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 21, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 7, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 17, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 3, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 20, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 15, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 1, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 18, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 4, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 20, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 6, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 23, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 2, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 16, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 2, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 19, 2010
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 5, 2010
2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 15, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of December 1, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 17, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 3, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 20, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 6, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 15, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 1, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 18, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of August 4, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of July 21, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 16, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of June 2, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 19, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of May 5, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 21, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of April 7, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 17, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of March 3, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 17, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of February 3, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of January 20, 2009
Newsletter about the City Council Meeting of January 6, 2009
2008
Newsletter about the City Council Meeting of December 16, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council Meeting of December 2, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 18, 2008
Newsletter about the (Drinking Establishment) Moratorium Workshop on November 4, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of November 4, 2008
Newsletter about the Planning/Zoning Meeting of October 22, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 21, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of October 7, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 16, 2008
Newsletter about the City Council meeting of September 2, 2008
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